Imagining Life In A "Degrowth City"

Proponents of economic degrowth, a system that prioritizes the well-being of populations and the environment over profits, dream of sustainable cities that will fulfill the needs of all its residents, resulting in happy, well-knit communities that take democratic stewardship of their neighborhoods. 

Currently, no city or country can claim it fully uses degrowth policies. One study theorizes that there must be a deep crisis, an alternative political project, a comprehensive coalition of social forces, and broad-based consent before we will see a shift to degrowth. However, multiple cities are working to implement policies prioritizing climate and community well-being. C40 cities, for example, are a network of 96 global cities that address climate change through bold policies that focus on water management, air quality, green jobs, the energy sector, food systems, and more.

So, what would a city that has embraced degrowth look like?

Rise and shine! You wake up in your government subsidized apartment, retrofitted with renewable energy systems. For breakfast, you prepare loose leaf tea and eggs sourced from your local affordable food co-operative. Nearly everything you buy has been grown or produced in your community. You don’t own much but what you do own is locally made with love: your shirt is made from hand-woven recycled cotton woven, and you enjoy breakfast from a hand-made ceramic bowl and mug.

‍To quickly decarbonize, your city has eradicated car dependency, so while a few autos remain on the road, you easily peddle your bike through a series of car-free streets to the nearest electric train station that takes you to work. On the way, you pass well-maintained green spaces, from urban farms to parks to clean waterways. 

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By Mid-Morning

Industries that have fostered overconsumption have withered away. Factory farming, overfishing, fast fashion, and private jets no longer exist. Instead, they have been replaced with jobs that focus on sustainability, such as harvesting rainwater, restoring ecosystems and watersheds, recycling materials, building and maintaining public infrastructure, growing and composting organic produce, and repairing materials, clothing, and tools. 

Most workplaces have adapted the 4-day work week to lower production and emissions. For your job working with City Parks and Recreation, today you’re hosting a seed-saving workshop with a public middle school. On other days, you’re given the freedom to work from home for administrative and planning tasks. First, you take the train to one of the many local co-working spaces that have replaced large office buildings to review your presentation notes before heading to the middle school.

You arrive at the school, which is constructed of recycled materials, retrofitted with solar energy systems, and woven with gardens and recreational spaces. While schools still teach history, mathematics, science, and language learning, classrooms embrace experiential learning workshops wherever possible to foster increased engagement. Today your workshop is for a few science classes, so you explain the brilliant makeup of proteins, healthy fats, and all the vitamins and minerals necessary to coax a new sprout to life. You take lunch with the students, fielding more questions as you enjoy the flavorful organic cafeteria meals.

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Into The Afternoon

After your series of workshops, it’s time to run some errands. Degrowth has lowered consumerism significantly. You bike to the nearest repair shop to pick up your music speaker. When your electronics break, it’s easy to find a place to fix them. Then you take a bus to your local tool library to rent a drill so you can carry out a few crafty projects in your home. Next, you take a pit stop in a local coffee shop, turn in your old glass bottle, and get your new iced coffee in a new reusable bottle for a discount. Finally, you stop at the local clinic for a free bi-annual checkup and receive helpful advice suggesting a variety of solutions surrounding your nerve pain. You choose to purchase a gentle anti-inflammatory medication and book an affordable acupuncture treatment for the next week.

With more days of rest and leisure thanks to the 4-day work week, you find yourself happier and able to dedicate your energy towards relationships, passion projects, and local politics. You usually take one day a week spent to politically organize with a local collective focused on political education across a variety of topics. You host teach-ins on policies surrounding climate immigration, problem-posing education, renewable transportation, and more. But today is for getting together with friends: you’re meeting a few for a yoga class in the park. 

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Unwinding At Night

After your class, you all grab dinner together at a local evening market full of stands offering delicious plates made of compostable plates and silverware. There are bins to compost and recycle your materials, which head to local collectives that efficiently return everything to the supply chain instead of shipping it overseas to other countries. 

You bike home down the well-lit streets until you arrive back to your cozy home. You wind down with a warm shower, whose greywater filters down to the local community garden, then share a cup of nighttime tea with your roommate before heading to bed to start the day over again tomorrow. 

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Want to study Degrowth and fully embrace this style of life? The Autonomous University in Barcelona now offers a Master’s Degree in Degrowth: Ecology, Economics, and Policy. Or better yet, try your luck in a C40 city and join the communities confronting the climate crisis.